Biomedical subjects

Albinas Lugauskas

Publications and source records attributed to Albinas Lugauskas.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Toxic micromycetes in grain raw material during its processing.

In 2003-2005 micromycetes were isolated and identified from wheat, barley, rye, buckwheat grain brought into mills or from processing enterprises. Contamination of the produced flour with micromycete propagules (cfu g(-1)), changes in micromycete diversity and abundance in the course of flour storage, preparation and baking of bread, production of groats or other food products and fodder were determined. Most attention was given to widely distributed micromycetes, known producers of toxins: Alternaria alternata, Aspergillus candidus, A. clavatus, A. flavus, A. fumigatus, A. niger, A. oryzae, A. (=Eurotium) repens, Fusarium culmorum, F. equiseti, F. graminearum, F. moniliforme, F. oxysporum, F. poae, F. sporotrichioides, Penicillium brevicompactum, P. chrysogenum, P. cyclopium, P. daleae, P. expansum, P. funiculosum, P. roqueforti, P. urticae, P. verruculosum, P. viridicatum, Phoma exiqua, Rhizomucor pusillus, Rhizopus stolonifer, Trichothecium roseum. Abilities of these micromycetes to produce secondary toxic metabolites were determined as well as possible hazard caused to people consuming the contaminated products.

Consumer Product Safety↗

PubMed2006

Application of ozone for reduction of mycological infection in wheat grain.

In 2004-2005 means were sought to clean grain from microbiological contamination during transportation and storage. For this purpose, grains with a moisture content of 23.2 % of the "Tauras" variety were selected and ventilated daily for 8 hours until grain wetness was reduced to 14.0 %. The effect of ventilation duration and ozone impact was evaluated according to the changes in grain contamination with micromycetes propagules (cfu x g (-1)), and alternation of micromycetes species on the grain surface. At drying grains by active ventilation with an ozone--air mixture, at O (3) concentration of 700 ppb, the drying period was reduced by about 20 %, and mycological contamination depends on initial grain moisture content (w): when w=15.2 %, contamination was reduced by up to 2.2 times, and when w=22.0 %--up to 3 times. At the same time, the composition of micromycetes species on the grain surface changed significantly: in non-ventilated grain there were detected micromycetes of 26 species, and in ventilated grain--of 11 species. Efficient ozone impact was established only when the mound of wet (w>18.0 %) grains was exposed to ozone.

Crops, Agricultural↗

PubMed2005

Toxin producing micromycetes on imported products of plant origin.

Recently the food of people is profusely supplemented with vegetables and fruit imported from various regions. Investigations on the mycological state of imported foodstuffs revealed that the marketed vegetables, fresh, dried and frozen fruit are contaminated with propagules of various micromycetes. The obtained results allow the conclusion that vegetables and fruit can become a good substrate for mycotoxin producing micromycetes. The micromycetes develop on everyday products and can become the cause of slow toxicoses, which are characterized by a diversity of symptoms and are difficult to diagnose. Therefore, contamination of food products with micromycetes of the Penicillium, Aspergillus, Fusarium, Alternaria, Paecilomyces, Trichotecium, Rhizopus genera should receive particular attention. It should be noted that a strain growing on a particular type of vegetable or fruit could synthesize and excrete different toxic secondary metabolites.

Food Microbiology↗

PubMed2005

Micromycetes, producers of toxins, detected on stored vegetables.

In 2003-2004, investigations of mycological contamination of stored and newly harvested vegetables were carried out. The aim of the study was to detect fungal species able to synthesize toxic metabolites, which are spread on vegetables under various conditions. For mycological investigations, samples of carrots, onions and cabbage were taken from storehouses with different storage periods and conditions. Penicillium expansum, P. nalgiovense, Mucor silvaticus and Penicillium verrucosum were more frequently detected on carrots, Penicillium expansum - on onions and Aspergillus niger, Botrytis cinerea, Mucor hiemalis, Penicillium funiculosum and Penicillium expansum - on cabbages. Storing conditions of vegetables influenced distribution of different fungal species. Primary screening using CYA and YES test-media showed that 46.7 % of tested strains may be evaluated as toxin producers. The ability of fungi to produce mycotoxins depends on their growth substrata. According to Rf and fluorescence in the UV of compounds comparing with standards, such toxins as patulin, cytochalasin and penitrem were identified. The ability of Penicillium expansum Sv-168-1 growing on different foodstuff and especially potato to produce patulin was confirmed quantitatively.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Airborne fungi in industrial environments--potential agents of respiratory diseases.

Investigations on airborne fungi in a poultry house, a swinery, a feed preparing and storing house, a grain mill, a wooden panel producing factory, and organic waste recycling facilities have been carried out in Lithuania. Low concentrations of fungal spores were detected in the wooden panel producing factory, the swinery, the feed preparing and storing house, and the poultry house; moderate concentrations were found in the organic waste recycling facilities; high concentrations were revealed at the grain mill. Species of Aspergillus oryzae, A. nidulans, P. expansum, Penicillium olivinoviride, P. claviforme and Botryotrichum longibrachiatum prevailed in the poultry farm; Geotrichum candidum, Cladosporium cladosporioides, C. herbarum, Penicillium viridicatum and P. fellutanum dominated in the swinery. Fungi of Penicillium viridicatum, P. expansum, Staphylotrichum coccosporum and Aspergillus oryzae prevailed in the feed preparing and storing house at the swinery. Cladosporium cladosporioides, C. herbarum, Penicillium viridicatum and Geotrichum candidum prevailed in the grain mill. Fungi ascribed as Paecilomyces puntonii, Rhizopus nodosus and R. stolonifer dominated in the wooden panel producing factory. Species of Aspergillus raperi, P. paxilli, P. oxalicum, and Cladosporium herbarum prevailed at the organic waste recycling facilities. According to published data, the majority of the identified fungal species are characterized as allergenic and an exposure to their spores may provoke adverse health effects (such as allergic rhinitis, bronchial asthma or extrinsic allergic alveolitis) in susceptible individuals.

Air Microbiology↗

PubMed2004

Inactivation of fungi in vitro by photosensitization: preliminary results.

Photosensitization is based on the interaction of 2 completely non-toxic agents--a photosensitizer, accumulated in microorganisms, and visible light. This interaction induces radical-based cytotoxic reactions in the presence of oxygen. The photosensitization phenomenon is widely involved in the treatment of tumors in oncology, in curing arthritis and atherosclerosis. In this work, the possibility to inactivate pathogenic and harmful fungi by photosensitization is shown. A new treatment methodology is proposed on the basis of effective inactivation of the several micromycetes, such as Aspergillus flavus, Trichothecium roseum, Fusarium avenaceum, Rhizopus oryzae, by photosensitization.

Agriculture↗

PubMed2003

Concentration and species diversity of airborne fungi near busy streets in Lithuanian urban areas.

The investigations on air pollution in industrial cities of Lithuania: Vilnius, Alytus, Kaunas, Marijampole and Elektrenai were aimed at detecting the presence of fungi and aerosol particles during different seasons of the year. Sampling of fungal spores was carried out at 20 sampling sites. Active air sampling was performed simultaneously with the use of passive sedimentation plates. Data on the spread of various micromycete species in the air of cities contaminated with various pollutants are presented. Micromycetes of 430 species belonging to 165 genera, 19 families, 13 orders, 4 classes, and 3 phylla were isolated and identified. We found 21 species, 11 genera, 7 families from Ascomycota, 6 species, 1 genus, 1 family from Oomycota, 45 species, 15 genera, 8 families from Zygomycota. Mitosporic fungi comprised 138 genera, 358 species, and comprised the vast majority of identified species: 358 out of 430 (83.25 %). Conditionally pathogenic species were also isolated. It was concluded that the abundance of such fungi as Aspergillus niger, A. fumigatus, Cladosporium herbarum, Alternaria alternata, Aureobasidium pullulans in the air can be a significant criterion for the evaluation of air pollution.

Air Microbiology↗

PubMed2002

Toxin producing micromycetes on fruit, berries, and vegetables.

In 1999-2001 the investigations on mycological state of stored and sold fruit, berries, and vegetables grown in Lithuania and imported from other countries were performed. The samples of foodstuff were taken from storehouses, various supermarkets, and market places. Such ecological conditions lead to a rapid spreading of micromycetes and contamination of other articles of food stored and sold nearby. On fresh fruit and berries the development of microorganisms is slow. However, microorganisms penetrate into internal tissues of berries and fruit, thus becoming difficult to notice visually. Some microorganisms, especially micromycetes of some species belonging to the Penicillium Link, Aspergillus Mich. ex Fr., and other genera, are able to produce secondary metabolites (mycotoxins) of various compositions that are toxic to plants, animals, and humans. Therefore, the ability of micromycetes to synthesise and excrete toxic secondary metabolites was examined. Considering this issue, 393 micromycete strains ascribed to 54 genera and 176 species were tested. 46 strains were identified as active producers of toxic substances and were selected for further examinations. Most of them belonged to the Penicillium, Aspergillus and Fusarium genera. Their detection frequency on the investigated berries, fruit, and vegetables was determined, and the impact upon warm-blooded animals (BALB/c mice) was tested. Significant changes of the internal organs and blood composition were found in mice infected with toxic micromycetes. In conclusion, it was evidenced that more than 10% of micromycete strains developing on incorrectly-preserved fruit, berries and vegetables, produce toxic secondary metabolites that pose a potential health hazard for people eating or handling the foodstuff.

Animals↗